


Queen's Gambit

by AssassinOfRome



Category: Legally Blonde - All Media Types, Legally Blonde - Hach/O'Keefe/Benjamin
Genre: Chess, Emmett has drunk his respecting women juice, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Hints of ADHD Elle, Hints of Trans Emmett, Slice of Life, discussions of consent, quick fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:53:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23216563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AssassinOfRome/pseuds/AssassinOfRome
Summary: Emmett teaches Elle how to play chess.
Relationships: Emmett Forrest/Elle Woods
Comments: 8
Kudos: 183





	Queen's Gambit

Getting Elle Woods to sit down for more than five minutes was a challenge in itself, but with a spat of bad weather and all paperwork completed, a game’s night had proved a lovely way to pass the time. 

Elle was the first to admit she wasn’t particularly good at board games. She wasn’t stupid, not in the least – her grades disproved that, and even if they didn’t, she had an intelligence that couldn’t be taught, especially when it came to taking care of other people. But she did struggle with focusing sometimes, and board games worsened that. She always got the suits mixed up in poker, and she found herself overly attached to the Hearts and Queens cards because they looked so pretty. She was pretty good at some parts of Trivial Pursuit, but her history knowledge needed work, and she often found herself playing with opponents who’d been read trivia cards from the womb, so her knowing who invented the mini-skirt didn’t do her many favours. 

Chess, however, was one she could learn. Like law, it was rules and regulations but it had a dramatic flair that could be exploited at a moment’s notice. It also helped immensely that she had such a dedicated tutor. 

Emmett loved chess, which didn’t surprise her in the slightest. What did stun her was just how good he was at it. Like Tetris, it had seemed to fill the void of friendships in his lonely childhood, and it made her heart hurt a little every time she watched him play against himself, spinning the board back and forth. When she’d offered to play with him, he’d lit up like a menorah. 

And so they’d spent a pleasant afternoon together, her quickly picking up the nuances of the game. He’d showered her with compliments, gently correcting her when needed but mostly allowing her creativity to flow. One such correction occurred on their twelfth game: they’d got to the finishing stages and though he’d won again, he took the time to explain just how the success had been achieved. 

“So if I move my knight here, that puts you in check, see?” Emmett glanced up at her, and Elle found herself studying every inch of his lovely face. Two years ago, she wouldn’t have even glanced twice at him; maybe on a generous day, she would notice how bright his eyes were, or the bounce in his hair. Probably not though – he hadn’t even started conditioning until he met her, so she took full credit for his now-enticing curls. With a smile, she noticed his hair was puffier than normal; he’d been running his fingers through it as he explained each move. 

God, she adored him. She adored the bumps in his nose – from a baseball accident with his younger brother. She loved the smattering of freckles on his cheek that had darkened in the sun from all the long walks she dragged him on. She even loved the smattering of acne at the curve of his jaw; a sure sign that the testosterone he’d so giddily been using was having some effect to turn him into the man she had always known him as. 

“Is there something on my face?” He asked, eyebrows creasing even as a little smile formed at the corner of his mouth. It was hard to focus on the game with such pretty lips to admire, but she forced her attention back to the board, seeing how his long and careful fingers curled gently around the little black piece. 

A little black horse.

With a frown of her own, she looked down at the board, taking in its layout. Holding back her own smile, she selected her victor and pressed it gently to his king. 

“I think that gives me checkmate then, Mr Forrest.” She grinned, but paused at the frozen look on his face. He was just as stunned as she was, blinking down at the board with his mouth slightly open. Despite her better judgement, her stomach squeezed. She wasn’t in the habit of besting her boyfriends – Warner had never liked it when she won an argument, on the rare occasions where she’d gotten a word in edgeways. Not that he did anything horrible, he wasn’t like that. But he would go all cold and frumpy, and would sulk for days on end without speaking to her. 

Just like Emmett was doing now. 

“Em?” She whispered, hating how the desperation had crept into her voice so quickly. Why had she been so stupid? He’d only been trying to help her, and she had to show him up like that! No wonder he was feeling insulted. She wished she’d never made the move now. Maybe if she took back the piece, he would forget all about – 

As her fingers clutched the piece, Emmett’s closed around her wrist. 

Eyes already filling with tears, she looked up and gasped, relaxing enough to drop the piece. No-one had ever looked at Elle so softly, and a few seconds later, she was rewarded with a gentle kiss. They’d been dating for a few weeks, but still she treasured every little touch from him, and he from her. And this was not something either of them had experienced yet: a spontaneous, almost lazy domestic kiss. Warner had kissed like a battle, all hard presses and tongue pushing into her mouth. Emmett never kissed her without asking for permission, but she could feel the excitement he was bestowing on her, twinning their fingers together. Still, he pulled away very quickly when he realised how unresponsive she was. 

“What? What’s wrong? Are you okay?” He dropped her wrist and turned his attention to her face, eyes darting around for any sign of harm. Warner had never done that either, not even when she’d fallen down a set of stairs and twisted her ankle so badly she couldn’t walk for a week. Emmett had offered to carry her home last time she stubbed her toe, albeit jokingly. “I’m so sorry – I should have asked first, but I was just so impressed and –“ 

“You were impressed?” She asked, voice croaking. “With me?” 

“I’m always impressed with you. From the first time I saw you.” He says it almost without thinking; it was like she had asked him what colour the sky was, so obvious was his answer. Tenderly, he risked stroking her cheek. “You’re amazing, Elle, and you only get more amazing the more I know you.” 

“You’re not half bad yourself.” She chuckled through the lump in her throat. “What did I do to end up with a guy like you?” 

“Respecting you isn’t an admirable trait, Elle.” Emmett pulled back and cupped her face in his hands. “It should be expected, boring even. It’s not negotiable. No matter what we do, or how we fight, I will always respect and admire you.” 

“Even if I beat you at chess?”

“Especially if you beat me at chess.”

**Author's Note:**

> So that was a quick little fic - hopefully it managed to cheer someone up in these difficult times <3 
> 
> For anyone interested, I am still working on my other projects. Writing right now is pretty difficult. I just lost a very very close relative, and I'm struggling with grief, self-isolation and trying to finish my degree knowing I won't get to have a proper graduation. But I am still trying, and hopefully this is the next step in getting myself back together. 
> 
> Thanks as always to Joanie and Liv, and take care of yourselves!


End file.
